Brazil prosecutor says senator tried to hinder Car Wash probe

Senator Aécio Neves is reported to have found means to prevent investigations from advancing by manipulating appointmentsValter Campanato/Agência Brasil

Ousted Senator Aécio Neves, of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB), is alleged to have sought to keep the probes under Operation Car Wash from making further progress by negotiating with President Michel Temer and Alexandre de Moraes, now a Supreme Court justice. The statement was made by Prosecutor-General Rodrigo Janot, in a document submitted to the Supreme Court.

“More specifically concerning Operation Car Wash, the senator is reported to have found means to prevent investigations from advancing by manipulating appointments, but that was not ultimately arranged between him, Michel Temer, and the former Justice Minister, now Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes,” Janot says.

The statement can be found in the ruling issued by Supreme Court Justice Luiz Edson Fachin, who ordered the opening of an inquiry into Temer and Aécio Neves following plea bargain statements by executives from meatpacking giant JBS. The requests drafted by the Office of the Prosecutor-Genereal and the testimonies were made public Friday (May 19) by the Supreme Court.